Origin of the Sphere
by Haseo The Terror of Death
Summary: This is the origin of the Sphere of Varrock, the greatest weapon in history.
1. Wedding Day

_This is the companion piece to my Runescape fan fiction The Sphere of Varrock_. This story explains the origins of the Sphere of Varrock. It takes place approximately 500 years before The Sphere of Varrock. Please enjoy!

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The Origin of the Sphere

He straightened his black ceremonial robe trimmed in gold meticulously. Once again, he took a look at himself in the mirror. His long black hair was neatly tied in a ponytail and his golden eyes sparkled. Females everywhere mourned the day he left the small group of bachelors for he had a very appreciable face. He had a slightly tanned complexion, no craters or blemishes and a strong jaw line and a medium-length nose, unlike the beaked noses of the day. 

Today is his wedding to the beautiful Vicktania and he wanted everything to be absolutely perfect; nothing could be out of place, from the lowest vases of flowers to the guests themselves.

He'd been courting her for the past five years and had proposed to her during the summer of last year. It had been at the White Rose garden, Vicky's--Ruko's nickname for her--favorite place to be. Her love for the garden most likely stemmed from when she was younger and went to the gardens every week with her father. Her father asked to be buried there when he died from a stray arrow during the Goblin Massacre. Excited at Ruko's proposal, Vicktania had wept with happiness, screaming her answer.

_The wedding must be flawless to impress my sweet, dear Vicktania_, Ruko thought anxiously.

Ruko first met Vicky back when he was seven. They'd shared the same school and became inseparable. For him, it was love at first sight. She, however, had to plow through dozens of boyfriends until she realized Ruko was "the one."

Their first date, at the Green Tea restaurant, sealed the deal as they say. It had been out under a full moon and it loomed overhead like a guardian angel watching over the people below.

Ruko had pulled her chair out for her graciously, eliciting a beautiful smile out of Vicky. He'd ordered a meat sandwich for an appetizer, while she had a tomato salad. Out of all the meals he'd ever had or would, this would be the one he remembered until he died. She had kept twisting a strand of her golden locks, nervous about being with him. Later she told him she'd thought he was way too good for her, but he just laughed.

The night had ended with the greatest kiss he'd ever had.

A knock sounded upon his front door and leaving his room, he went to investigate. Upon opening the door, he was shocked to see his master standing before him looking as if he'd been chased by a pack of goblins. "Master Bardimous, what are you doing here?"

Panting and heaving, sweat pouring in buckets from his face, Bardimous tried to form a decent sentence. "I--I--I had…"

Ruko, smiling, placed a hand on his Master's shoulder. "Calm down and take a big breath, ok?"

Bardimous' chest rose as he inhaled violently. "I have finished the initial tests and am ready to fuse the crystal with the rune stone. It's a breakthrough!" Ruko's master broke out into a silly grin. Beginning to leave, he said, "You need to help me set the crystal in the mold so it can set properly, then we can add…"

Ruko shook his head and asked gelidly, "Did you forget that today was my wedding?"

Having been babbling the entire time, Ruko's question brought him to a stop. An awkward silence stretched on for a few seconds until Master Bardimous worked up the courage to say, "Uh, yes, I admit that I did forget that today was you and Vicky's wedding, but only because I've been so very busy with the testing of suitable rune stones to fuse with the crystal."

Ruko sighed inwardly. It was just like his master to forget the essentials. His master was an expert in anything vaguely related to rune stones, and that came with forgetting important dates. Once, he actually had forgotten his own wife's birthday and his, too. Ruko was Bardimous' assistant, there to remind him that he must eat and sleep.

"Master, it's okay," Ruko had to get used to it or he would go insane. "I know your work sometimes makes you scatterbrained and I understand. The work you are doing will benefit mankind for thousands of years to come, but today is my wedding. I don't have the time to just go galloping off with you; I need to prepare for the ceremony which, if my time is right, is in one hour."

Bardimous became frustrated and he began to plead. "Please, Ruko, I really need your help! It's like you said, this will benefit mankind for years to come!"

Ruko sighed deeply. His master was a very needy man and when all else failed, he resorted to begging and underhanded tactics. 

"Fine! I'll go with you, but it had better not take forever!" Ruko said, exasperated.

Ruko's master worked out of his own house, though house would be an understatement--the correct term would be mansion. Bardimous was from a long line of mage nobles, dating back to the discovery of magic itself. Bardimous was the descendant of the first mage, an honor that naturally made him the best choice for court mage and scientist. That is also how he came to own the mansion.

Bardimous pushed open the front door, striding confidently past the foyer and down a corridor left of the foyer. Matching maroon carpet littered the floor and the wallpaper. Portraits of past mages, eyes hauntingly following them, were spaced evenly along the walls.

Creeped out as usual by the horrible and eerie paintings, Ruko picked up his pace. Soon they arrived at the basement door which lead to rickety stairs that hugged the walls descending below.

He threw a nervous glance at the stairs, as they wound around and around the walls. "Master, I really wish you would replace these old stairs," he voiced. "They're a haphazard!"

Bardimous scoffed, waving his hand around his head, showing his lack of concern. "Nonsense! These stairs have worked fine these past years and I won't spend money on buying stairs that I don't frequently use." He took the first step onto the stairs and, with a pace that would be suicide to copy, descended.

Ruko reluctantly followed suit.

After the first few seconds in pitch dark, Ruko's eyes slowly adjusted to the absence of light. The sound of their footsteps echoed loudly as they continued, sounding as if lions were roaring.

"Master, don't you think it's strange, that with all the magical abilities and wonders we've created, that we have yet to find a faster way down winding stairways?" inquired Ruko. If an easier way existed, he would have most assuredly taken it.

His master's pace lessened as the gears in his head began spinning. Scratching his beard in contemplation he muttered, "A quicker way to descend stairs? Note to self, design magical staircase…"

Bardimous had the most well stocked magical laboratory in the realm, known for its discovery of runes. The runes were still highly experimental since no one knew what they exactly did.

Ruko approached a workbench situated smack-dab in the middle of the lab. On it was a rune stone and a crystal. Bardimous had been testing the rune to see if he could bring out the full extent of its power by fusing it with a crystal of equal power.

Ruko's master stood in front of the workbench and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the tremendous task ahead of him. He positioned his palms over the stone and crystal. The air crackled with energy as Bardimous initiated the fusing process.

Soon the two objects began shifting subtly toward each other. "You're doing it!" Ruko exclaimed happily. He hadn't really believed his master could do it, but he was glad to have been proven wrong.

However, something started to happen that was not the master's plan. The rune began glowing black as well as the crystal. Violently, they combined to form a magnificent and stunning black orb. When the two powers combined, the air took on a sudden chill and Ruko's hair stood on end.

"Master?" he asked worriedly. "What's happening?"

Before Bardimous could answer, the orb let loose a sudden clap of energy that reverberated along the room. The sudden explosion of energy pounded against Ruko's mind, causing pain to flare across his entire body. He mouth opened in a silent scream as he backpedaled, his back eventually finding the cold stone walls.

_Damn it! What is this power I'm feeling? My--my vision is growing dark…getting harder…to breathe…_

And that was the last thought Ruko ever thought. His lifeless body slumped against the wall and he fell.

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I'm really sorry for the long delay, but my brother has been in the hospital for almost two weeks and I haven't had the time to work on this. Please review and voice your opinions of this one-shot detailing the birth of the Sphere if it is your megrim.


	2. Reign of Terror

**This is the second part to the Origin of the Sphere. It takes place approximately one year after chapter 2. It should fully explain the origin of the Sphere, where it got its name, and why no one knows it exists, when chapter 1 failed to.  
**

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The Origin of the Sphere

Chapter 2: Reign of Terror

His wrists were beginning to chafe from the chain cuffs he was forced to wear as he was marched across the fields outside of Avarrocka with a contingent of Avarrocka guards along with the other prisoners of war or whatever crimes they'd committed. He didn't know how long this war would last, but he would be ever so grateful when it did end.

A cool breeze nuzzled his left cheek, refreshing him for the brief seconds it was there, then leaving him to the harsh, sweltering sun that unmercifully beat down upon them.

When he tripped over a rock dislodged by the prisoner before him, a guard prodded him with a sharp spear, yelling for him to watch his step. "Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble," he replied softly, not wanting to provoke the guard any further.

"Keep in step, you fool!" the prisoner behind him whispered venomously. "Next time you make the guards prod us, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

_How long has it been since the war had started? A year? It feels much longer, almost an eternity._

A murmur arose from the front of the line; they had reached the city of Avarrocka. It had all started here and it would end here. He was being taken to the prison to be executed for crimes against humanity. Granted, he couldn't see any other course of action that could be taken, but he still didn't really truly want to die with a bunch of murderers and rapists.

They'd arrived at the gate, which at the order of the ranking guard, was being opened by the gatekeepers so they could come in to the city proper. Though, what was left of the fair city wasn't much to look at.

The explosion from the Sphere had leveled half of Avarrocka, leaving the city prone to attack from neighboring cities such as Falador and Cahtonia. It had taken only one day for Avarrocka's citizens to either be captured as slaves or killed as meat. Luckily, the king of Avarrocka had lived, rallying the remnant of his city to come together in their darkest hour. The soldiers had hunted down the Falador soldiers and massacred them, rescuing the captured citizens.

Of course, the King opened an investigation of the blast, which led him right to the front door of Bardimous Alcarid the Avarrocka Mage. At first the king was shocked that Bardimous could live through such an event, but it later ignited into unrestrained anger as he deduced Bardimous to be the cause of the destruction.

That was when they discovered the Sphere.

It lay in the exact spot it had been when the explosion took place, ripping down Bardimous' house around him, then stretching its radius further to include the east half of Avarrocka. The king ordered it to be studied by his top mages. The mages, after hours of examination, told the king that the Sphere was a highly dangerous weapon of magical construct. His advisors later came to him to beg him not to destroy such a terrible, and powerful creation. They argued that the Sphere could be used against any threat to Avarrocka; the king agreed.

Two days later, the King of Avarrocka, Sir Amsian the Eighth declared war on the surrounding kingdoms. The bloodiest war in all of history began on that day and has been raging on for about a year, from what he could tell.

Avarrocka conquered Falador in one day, Cahtonia in two hours, and soon the continent followed. The only holdout was a large nation to the East called Ashetonia. This strange eastern country faired better than any other so far and this angered Sir Amsian to point of killing a peasant for every day Ashetonia continued to resist.

Ashetonia was not impressed, for they did not surrender; unfortunately, Amsian followed through with his threat and soon began the killings, starting with prisoners.

He found himself and the rest of them placed in a large underground prison, fit to hold thousands if needed. His cell was the sixteenth in a long row of cells extending further and further onward into the facility.

Testing the bars, he discovered that he wasn't going anywhere fast, unfortunately. Resigning himself to his fate, he seated himself on the uncomfortable spring-imbedded sorry excuse for a bed.

How had it come to this? First he'd been captured, then upon learning that he would be executed he tried to escape, but was soon recaptured; which explained why he was now under careful scrutiny even now.

Using his vast magical abilities, he probed the other cells seeking for anybody in common. 453 was the number of prisoners currently locked up with several hundred due for arrival in the next four hours.

_No use, there isn't one person here I could use to escape this hellhole! How could I, Bardimous, become entangled in such an affair?_

When the Sphere had formed and released that flood of energy, Bardimous had thought the end had arrived; however, as fate would have it, he would survive the incident and live on, only to be killed later. Or so he thinks…

After dining on the meager scraps the guards had provided, Bardimous decided to sleep to preserve his strength so he could escape. The sound of yelling and footsteps rushing toward him, however, prevented him from getting any sleep.

A shadowy figure stood in front of his cell. "Bardimous? Is that you in there?"

Perplexed at the identity of his mysterious rescuer, he responded, "Yes, this is I, but who are you?"

The man slammed his foot into the bars, which amazingly snapped under the force. He pulled Bardimous to his feet and ran into the hall. "No time for introductions, sir, we have to get you out of here and fast!" Pointing down where he came from, the rescuer said, "There is where we need to go. My friends are there providing us a distraction."

Bardimous reluctantly followed his savior as they ran down the hallway and out a door that led to the prison court. He was shocked to find that it was crawling with dozens of strangely clothed men and women fighting against the Avarrocka city guards; and they were most definitely winning, if the amount of dead guards meant anything.

"What is this all about?" Bardimous asked his companion, as a flying spear flew past his head. The guard who had thrown it from several yards away drew her sword and, an enraged expression fixed to her face, began to charge toward Bardimous. Before she could reach him, however, a woman, her head shrouded in a black mask adorned with a white circle in the center, came from behind her and swinging her axe, decapitated the guard.

The blood, gushing from the neck, splattered all over the ground, soaking several combatants. Bardimous once again voiced his question. This time, the man answered. "I am part of an elite group of warriors called the Black Knights who have begun a rebellion against our so-called king. By rescuing the creator of the Sphere we have gained one victory against this empire of evil!" The man gestured that they should continue their escape as they talked.

"I am Jared Pehkayer and I started the Black Knights. Since the war began we have had several small victories over the Avarrocka Empire, but this-this will strike a blow to their plans." A wicked grin appeared on Jared's face, looking out of place. They had now reached the exit of the prison. All that stood between them and the open fields of the Avarrocka countryside was a giant steel door with dozens of Palace guards armed to the teeth with maces, swords, and spears.

However, before Bardimous could voice his concerns, a beautiful goddess of a woman materialized by Jared's side. She had long, flowing brown hair and sparkling green eyes, along with a set of lovely ruby red lips. Contrasting her natural beauty was the harsh reality of the adamant armor she wore to protect herself from harm.

Jared smiled proudly. "Bardimous, I would like you to meet my fiancée, Isabelle Dehcay. She is my lieutenant and the most amazingly gorgeous woman I've ever met."

Glowing from his praise, Isabelle withdrew her adamant two-handed sword and brandished it at the wall of guards. Bardimous saw her lips move in a silent incantation and seconds later, her sword erupted into flames; it was not melting, however.

She reared back and made a slashing motion toward the guards. A long strand of fire collided with the guards, reducing them to mere ashes on the stone court. Bardimous was once again dragged forward as Jared sounded a victorious retreat. The Black Knights finished their brawls early and made a break toward the exit.

An hour later, he found himself in the secret headquarters of the Black Knights located at the base of Ice Mountain. Normally such a trip would have taken hours, but the Black Knights had in their possession a teleportation rune.

The headquarters was hidden just at the base of the mountain, at a place nobody sane would bother to look since blizzards and Ice Giants were normal in the area. The Black Knight Fortress was a series of tunnels that bore deep within the mountain making it extremely warm and heated.

In a room somewhere a mile into the mountain, lay the Black Knight's war room where they met for, obviously, war. The room held a large circular table that could fit at least thirty people; however, tonight there was only Bardimous, Jared, Isabelle, and her brother Flowe.

He had a feeling that in this very fort, history would be made and the names Pehkayer and Dehcay would live on forever, never to be forgotten.

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**And thus ends Chapter 2: Reign of Terror. Look for Chapter 3: Allies sometime soon.**

**Review Q: What did you think of Isabelle? Lame, cool, or what? Tell me in your reviews.**

**Until next we meet, dosvidanya!**


	3. Allies

**Sorry it's been awhile since I last updated this, but here's a new chapter! Review Q and InterCom below!**

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Origin of the Sphere

Chapter Three: Allies

"If we can cut off their supplies here," Jared said, pointing to the empire's supply route marked on their map, "then we can force them into a stalemate at least. What do you think?"

Isabelle shook her head furiously. "That ignores their hidden supply line to the south. My troops discovered it yesterday when I sent them to find a way past Avarrocka's reinforced defenses."

Jared traced the River Lum with his fingers. "Their supplies must be coming up this river, correct? If so, then we need to establish a base at Draynor Manor."

"Draynor Manor has been abandoned for many years," Flowe agreed. "It won't take long for us to set up a post there within a few days."

"What of the rumors?" interrupted Isabelle.

Jared and Flowe scoffed at her. "There is no vampyre living in Draynor Manor; it is simply a tale that we tell our young ones so they behave," Flowe replied.

She didn't feel assured, but she nodded anyways.

Bardimous listened to the war talks, even as he began to ponder his precarious position. If he chose to remain with the Black Knights, he could be caught in the crossfire with the King's knights and the Black Knights, which to him was a dangerous position to be in in the first place.

"May I speak?" he said, cutting in. Jared, Flowe, and Isabelle exchanged glances. Jared gave him the floor.

"If I may speak frankly," he said, "what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Take down Avarrocka," Flowe said. "What else?"

"What I mean is, aren't you afraid that this will all come to nothing? What happens when you take Avarrocka and the Blood King? Will you rebuild the kingdom of Misthalin?"

"The peoples' best interests are our first priority, Bardimous," Jared stated. "We wouldn't be doing this if the citizens did not want it."

"They are afraid, Bardimous," Isabelle said. "The Avarrockans, everyone, they're afraid of the Blood King and the Sphere. All we want is for there to be peace again in Gielinor."

"Isabelle is right," Jared nodded. His eyes glinted with confidence. "The Black Knights' first duty is to the people and we will not rest until the Blood King's tyrannical reign of terror is a distant memory. It may not be easy, and we may lose many good men and women, but it will all be worth it to bring about peace to this continent."

"I understand," Bardimous said, with a sigh. "But let me just say that you have no idea what you're dealing with."

With a heavy heart, Bardimous left the war room and headed straight for his chambers for a nice rest. As he was passing by what looked to be a regular door, he suddenly began to hear strange noises coming from the other side. He glanced down both ends of the hallway: No one was there.

He carefully opened the door and peeked inside. Suddenly the door slammed shut from someone standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" Flowe demanded angrily.

"I thought I heard noises coming from that room," the old man replied, confused as to why Flowe was so angry.

"No one enters that room, understood?"

Bardimous nodded and scurried away to his room when Flowe backed away, satisfied that the old man would not enter the room. Turning a corner, he beheld his room on the far side of the hall, and he began to calm down.

"There is no way I am going to continue to stay here," he muttered to himself. He stepped into his room and, using a fire spell, lit the candles of his room.

He tossed himself onto his bed and started to think up ways he could sneak out of the fortress without being seen by anyone.

An hour later a knock came at his door. He slid off his bed and found a young boy standing on the other side of the door holding a plate of food.

"Hello, Jared asked that I bring you some dinner, in case you get hungry."

Bardimous accepted the plate, thanking the boy for bringing it. He closed the door and went back to his bed. While picking at his food, he began to come up with a pretty decent plan on how to remove himself from the war zone.

What he needed was a rune stone.

The one he swallowed in prison had already been passed, and quite painfully, too. Bardimous would need a fresh, new one.

He had been researching the mystery of the rune stones for nearly as long as he had been alive, seeing as he grew up among mages. The stones were somehow imbued with the magical properties of the world's elements, such as fire, water, earth, air, and many more. He had already managed to identify at least six of the many varieties of stones, but there were others.

The rune in which he had used to strike out with his mind to explore the prison was a mind rune. He would need a fire rune for the distraction he was planning.

He felt a tinge of guilt at what he was about to do, but he was an old man. Where did he belong in this war? In fact, he felt he should have died when he created the Sphere and its birth wiped out his apprentice and his hometown.

He briefly thought back to that moment. What had gone wrong? He had located the rune essences and brought the proper talismans. Who knew combining a law, death, and chaos rune would be dangerous?

Another knock sounded at his door. Who could it be this time?

It was Isabelle looking very distraught. "Bardimous, I need your help. Flowe and Jared were arguing and they got into a fight. Please come help!"

"Of course, ma'am," he said. He dropped his food and ran to the war room. The minute he stepped foot inside, he felt a cold shadow pass over him.

Something sinister was in the room with them.

"Isabelle, grab my bag from my room!" he yelled, urgency creeping into his voice. There was a spirit or ghoul inhabiting the room. He mentally flashed back to when he heard a noise in that room

This must have been what it was. Which also meant that Flowe knew something of it.

When Isabelle returned with his bag, something he had retrieved on his way out of prison, he quickly dug through it for the amulet he had in mind. If he was right, they were dealing with a shade. And the only way to deal with a shade was with a salve amulet.

It enhanced the wearer's attack when fighting a spirit or, in this case, a shade.

He placed it around his neck and asked for a weapon. "I will need something to fight this shade, my dear."

"There's a shade doing this?" Isabelle asked, surprised. She withdrew her dagger and handed it to Bardimous. "I just thought it was their egos becoming too inflated."

"No, I sensed it after I left for my room minutes ago. I believe Flowe may have been under its influence, but that's yet to be revealed." He held the dagger in front of him and slashed at the shade hovering above their heads.

It shrieked, withering away from the blade's touch before dissipating into the ether.

The shade gone, he returned the dagger to Isabelle. The grateful men thanked him for saving them, insisting that he was a great asset to them, what with his considerable magical knowledge.

Slowly Bardimous began to believe that he could possibly do some good by staying here. At the least he could investigate the appearance of the shade in such a place.

Finally he found his way back to his room. He would need a lot of rest if he, an old man, were to face the Blood King and whatever this war had to throw at him.

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**Review Q: Which runes do you pack with you?**

**InterCom: This is the section where you ask me a question and I answer it.**

**Comments: I'm not going on a hiatus, per se, but I have to be offline for several weeks. I will still be writing, but I won't be uploading for quite awhile. If it gets to the point where it's nearly Summer, I will get back on and upload any and all missed chapters for all my stories.**

**May we meet again, adieu!**


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